


Hope | Despair

by Oreocat155338



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Force-Sensitives can be cloned, Other, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Sidious is a liar, but we already knew that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22895047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oreocat155338/pseuds/Oreocat155338
Summary: After fighting Anakin -Vader- on Mustafar and watching Padme die,-After sending Bail away with Leia and as he prepares to take Luke to Tatooine-The Force stays his hand.Go to Coruscant.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious & Darth Vader
Comments: 55
Kudos: 145





	1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan had sensed something... Wrong about Anakin after Ashoka left the Order, but between the War and the Council, he'd never had the chance to investigate. So things continued as they were and Obi-Wan almost convinced himself that nothing was wrong.

Almost.

There'd been a nagging doubt in his head for the remainder of the Clone Wars - not that those lasted very long - and after he'd fought Anakin he'd grieved for his best friend. For his brother.

But then his doubts popped up, and as Yoda left to Dagobah, and Bail left with Leia, and Obi-Wan promised to bring Luke to Tatooine, the Force whispered to him, giving him a different course of action.

Telling him to hurry back to Coruscant. Insisting that he was waste no more time - after all, he'd never said WHEN Luke would arrive with the Lars.

He asked if Luke would be safe with him, but he knew the answer. There was nowhere in the Galaxy that Luke Skywalker would be safe. The Force said that Luke would be safer with him on Coruscant.

So he went without a word to Yoda and Bail.

On the trip there, he shaved his beard and head, and shielded his mind as he tattooed himself with the names of his fallen brothers and sisters.

And he tried to finish with Anakins', the Force stayed his hand, telling him there was still _hope_. A dry laugh bubbled up in his throat as he tried to swallow his tears.  
  
"Have I not been a good enough Jedi for you?" He asked bitterly. "I have done what was asked of me in every way. I am broken. What use could I still be of to you?" A sob escaped him as the grief started to settle in. "Why have you put me through all this pain?"

Hope. The Force whispered, and he idly remembered Qui-Gon mentioning that on some planet or another Obi-Wan had meant hope.

"What hope could I possibly have?" He questioned. "Why can't you leave me alone? I'm doing exactly as you asked!"

You are hope. The Force replied quietly. The galaxy needs hope.

"Some hope I am," Obi-Wan muttered, turning his attention to the infant Luke.

***

He was not recognized on Coruscant. It was a blessing, Obi-Wan knew as he followed the Force's guidance until he saw the Temple.

"No." The words were whispered - a desperate plea. 

_Alone you have no hope._ The Force replied sternly. _Your Hope is within there. GO._

And, almost against his will, Obi-Wan headed to the Temple, only to be stopped by Clone guards.

"What are you doing up here?" The Clone asked, and Obi-Wan was grateful that he didn't know this clone.

"Pologies, sir," Obi-Wan said, sounding as though he were sick and dying. "The boy and I were looking for somewhere to die. Heard this was a good place but..." He turned around with Luke, mind retracing the many hidden entrances to the Temple.

"You should go to the hospital." Another clone called, and Obi-Wan recognized him in the Force instantly. 

_Rex_. Anakin had sent him off Coruscant before everything went down to investigate Fives' accusations about chips that would control the clones.

Suddenly everything was beginning to make sense.

"Can't afford it." He said, and he could feel a mix of emotions in Rex - had the 202cd felt any emotions as they turned on him? - until the clone came to a decision.

"I'll take you there." Rex stepped in front of him. "I haven't been reassigned yet anyways. Right this way, sir." He followed Rex, already wondering how he would be able to fight Rex after everything.

They climbed into Rex's speeder, and as Rex started he asked "You look like someone I knew, once. His wasn't my General, but he was my General's closest friend and one of the greatest men that ever lived."

"Sir, I thought the Jedi were traitors," Obi-Wan said, and Rex shook his head.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this, but of all three Jedi that I served under, not one of them had a traitorous bone in their body." Rex sighed. "If any of them would show theselves, I'd gladly serve under them, even if it means being branded a traitor to the Republic."

Obi-Wan could sense the truth of Rex's statement, and, with a sigh, he dropped the accent he had been using.

"You had better mean that." He said, and Rex glanced at him, not the least bit surprised.

"General Kenobi," Rex said. "Reporting for duty." Is Rex who the Force had sent him after?

 _Into the Temple, Kenobi._ The Force said, and Obi-Wan bit back a sigh.

"We need into the Temple." He said. "I know of several handfuls of secret tunnels in. You willing to come?"

"Of course," Rex said, and he slowly turned around, leaving the subject of Anakin Skywalker alone. "Why, though?"

"No idea," Obi-Wan said. "It just what the Force is telling me what to do."

"Where do you want me to drive this?"


	2. Chapter 2

Obi-Wan walked the tunnels under the Temple, following the prodding of the Force, not sure what he was supposed to find.

  
And they went deeper and deeper into the wellspring of the Force under the Temple, until Rex began walking beside him, able to feel the Force on some level.

He could feel so much with the Force as concentrated as it was... It was almost like going back in time.  
He could still feel the emotions of other Jedi who had come before. A frown appeared on his face as he sensed something under that...

_Darkness, anger_. Now that the Jedi were gone, Sideous had stopped hiding his Force presence, instead spreading it across the galaxy, taunting the remaining Jedi.

But he had come here... For reasons that Obi-Wan couldn't place, it unsettled him, and, without needing a prodding from the Force, he followed it, testing the emotions to identify them.

Elation, glee. Triumph. 

Obi-Wan flinched, and detected a week set of emotions under that, and reached further.

_Betrayal. Hurt. Confusion._ A thought of _Master where are you?_

  
He sucked in a breath, physically reeling back. _Anakin_ had been down here? But his Padawan would've told him...

But, then again, he hadn't told him about how he'd married Padme. Hadn't said a word about the fact that she was expecting.

He didn't realize that he was moving forward, following not Sideous' but Anakin's path in the Force. Desperately begging the Force for an explanation. Not yet begging for forgiveness, choosing instead to wait and see what had happened to Anakin-

He stopped in an open room, devoid of the presence of any Jedi except-

Tears welled to Obi-Wan's eyes and he tried - he tried so _hard_ \- to keep himself from crying.

He failed, and he dropped to his knees in front of the pod that was in the middle of the room, grief flooding past his shields - once he would've said confidently that nothing could get past them - as he dropped to his knees, begging for forgiveness.

He should've trusted his instincts.

***

Across the galaxy, on Alderaan, Leia felt it first and expressed it as any child would.

She began to cry, and her nursemaids couldn't get her to stop (no, that would require that the _reason_ for her crying to disappear), and Breha found herself helpless to calm down her daughter.

Ashoka felt it second, walking towards Leia's room with Bail, having agreed to put some shields on Leia's mind, and sucked in a desperate breath as she fell to her knees.

She recognized that Force presence. Once she had respected it. She still did, it'd taken time to realize who had sent her a tendril of confidence in the Force, or strength.

She'd grown to respect him more when she began to learn what he had gone through. What he'd persevered through, all the while staying in the Light.

But now, feeling the depth of his grief, she wondered what could have _possibly_ happened to his shields, what could have _possibly_ happened for her to still sense the pure unadulterated grief all the way on Alderaan.

"-Ashoka?" She dimly recognized Bail's voice, and she wondered desperately what had happened to Skyguy. He would never let Obi-Wan feel this. If he were there he would -

And Ashoka realized that the only thing that could have caused Obi-Wan's grief was Anakin, her former Master.

"Ashoka?" Bail asked. "What's-"

"Obi-Wan." She managed to say. "Something's happened."

Then, seconds later, it stopped, and tears pricked Ashoka's eyes as she realized that Obi-Wan Kenobi must have died.

"Ashoka?" Bail asked, looking concerned.

"Obi-Wan." She said. "It was Obi-Wan." She sucked in a desperate breath. "That level of grief could only have - the only thing that could have caused it is my former Master's death."

"Ashoka." Bail looked at her with kind eyes, but she pushed on.

"And - the only way it could have just disappeared like that would be his-" She choked, but she swallowed and continue. "The only way his grief could just disappear is his death."

***

The second Obi-Wan's grief erupted from him, Sideous had felt it, and an evil smile had appeared on his face as he exited the Senate.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing he knew was that he felt _grief_. More grief than should exist in the galaxy.

The second thing he knew was that he was a _Jedi_ Knight, and that it was his _duty_ to keep people from feeling this level of grief.

The third thing he knew was the sound of glass shattering. Of falling and landing in front of a man - a familiar man - holding a baby boy, who was crying. Of seeing a very familiar face and armor on the ground, teeth gritted as he tried to keep his grip on his blaster.

The fourth thing that he knew was the Force. Of _darkness_ that shouldn't have been there. Of _hope_ that was nearly completely _smothered_ -

The fifth thing he knew was the man's name. _Obi-Wan, Father/Brother, Master._ Of an almost overwhelming level of trust and safety.

The sixth thing he knew was the armored man's name. _Rex, Clone, Captian, friend._ Of many dangerous missions with Rex behind him.

The seventh thing he knew was his own name. _Anakin Skywalker, General, Jedi Knight Padawan, Former Slave, husband_. Of _Padme_ , who was waiting for the wars finish so he could leave the Order and stay by her side.

"Master?" He asked, confused, and, when he didn't respond, he knelt down and forced Obi-Wan to look at him. He was shocked when he was tears flowing from his eyes. "Master, whatever you're blaming yourself for, it's not your fault."

"But I knew something was wrong!" Obi-Wan protested. "And I didn't look into it." Looking utterly defeated, he continued. "And now they're all dead."

"Master!" Anakin snapped, wondering _what_ had happened on Mandalore. "Focus!" He reached to Obi-Wan in the Force, sending him strength and hope. "What needs to be done?"

"I promised to take Luke to his aunt and uncle," Obi-Wan said, grief diminishing as his attention was diverted, seemingly not noticing as Anakin strengthened his shields. "Bail and Yoda will need to know." Bail and Yoda? Anakin wondered why Obi-Wan hadn't mentioned any other members of the Council.

"Obi-Wan?" He asked, and the older Jedi looked at him, then reached into the Force, where they could feel a creature of anger rushing for them.

"Darth Sideous," Obi-Wan said. "We need to leave."

"We can take him!" Anakin said, mind reeling. Who was Darth Sidious? Was he Dooku's Master?

"No, Anakin, we can't," Obi-Wan said. "I had to leave my lightsaber behind to get here, Rex only has a blaster, you don't have a lightsaber, and we have a baby with us. We cannot win this fight."

Anakin frowned but nodded.

"How do we get out?" He asked, and Obi-Wan frowned, last of his grief vanishing as he stood.

"Follow me." Obi-Wan said, striding out of the room, Anakin and Rex hot on his heels.

***

_"She won't be_ safe. _" Ashoka said, looking Bail in the eyes. "She'll never be safe."_

_"I know." Bail said. "When she's old enough, could you- could you come back to teach her how to use the Force?"_

_"She's old enough now," Ashoka said. "I was already learning at her age." She bit her lip, considering. Did Bail want her here, safe? Clearly, but was it just to honor a debt to Obi-Wan? She decided it didn't matter, Leia could attract the attention of the Emperor and Vader if left to her own devices. "Alright, so long as no one knows I'm here." Bail nodded._

***

Sideous strode into the room where Obi-Wan had been, and stopped. He'd already known the Jedi had left but he needed to know if the original Skywalker had been awoken.

The pod was open, and the glass had been shattered. From the _inside_.

Sideous growled. _Nothing_ should have been able to wake Anakin. He'd sent his consciousness so deep into the Force that he may as well _have been dead_.

At the time he'd left him alive because he needed the memories. Afterward, he didn't have time to dispose of him and now he was beginning to see what a mistake not killing him sooner.

If Vader learned...

Sideous shook his head. No, he decided, he would have to lie to him. Claim that Obi-Wan had cloned him. Convince Vader that he'd been entirely replaceable to his Master.

Securing Vader's allegiance in the Dark Side of the Force for the rest of his days.

Yes, Sideous thought as he turned around. This was a good plan.


	4. Chapter 4

"Master, what happened?" Anakin asked, looking up at the ruins of the Jedi Temple, then at Obi-Wan's hair.

"He, he cloned you." Obi-Wan's voice still had grief in it as they climbed into Rex's speeder. "Sideous. I- I could sense that something was wrong but with the war, I didn't have time to investigate. Nothing was different between you and the clone, all I had to go off of was the feeling something was wrong."

"But you found me." Anakin said.

"Not too long ago, we - the clone and I - flew back to Coruscant from the Outer Rim because the Separatists had attacked. By the time we arrived, they were trying to retreat with the Chancellor being held hostage." Anakin's eyes widened. "We made it on board, of course, and made our way to where Dooku had the - the Chancellor. We fought, and I was knocked out. When I woke up, the clone had me over his shoulder and both he and the chancellor were clinging to a ledge, with the clone yelling at R2 to fix the gravity.

"He did, of course. We would up getting trapped by a laser shield and we had to surrender our lightsabers, and we were taken to Grevious. He escaped, and you - I mean, the clone, he crash-landed half the ship. About a day later, the clone was appointed to the Council, though he wasn't made a Master-"

"Serves him right," Anakin muttered, thinking about how he'd stolen Obi-Wan from him, and then made him so sad.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan sighed. "He got mad, of course, and he stormed out. He was later asked to spy on the Chancellor-" he held up his hands, preventing Anakin from talking. "The Chancellor asked the same of him. Anyways shortly after we received a tip that Grevious was on Upatu, and I was sent."

"You won," Anakin said confidently. Obi-Wan nodded.

"We were driving out the rest of the Separatists on the planet when it happened," Obi-Wan said. "Something called Order 66. It took control of the Clone's minds, ordering them-" He choked off, the feeling all too fresh in his mind.

"Ordering them to kill the Jedi, General." Rex finished. "From what I gather, Cody ordered a cannon shot at General Kenobi." Anakin's eyes widened and then narrowed at Rex.

"How do I know we can trust you?" He asked, retreating from his emotions.

"General Kenobi already made that call, sir," Rex said.

"He had the chip deactivated," Obi-Wan said. "The chip that Order 66 was on." Anakin looked from Obi-Wan to Rex, before nodding and relaxing somewhat.

"And then?" He asked.

"I landed in the water," Obi-Wan said. "And got lucky that Bail was in the area and could bring me back to Coruscant. When I got back I found the Temple occupied by the 501st. Everyone in the Temple, dead."

"Even Master Windu?" Anakin asked.

"I've not seen or heard from him," Obi-Wan said. "When your clone discovered that the Chancellor was Sideous, he was one of the Masters that went to arrest him. We know for a fact that the other three died."

"But-" Anakin said, horrified.

"When your clone arrived, Sideous convinced him that only he could save your wife. Master Windu had already decided that Sideous had to die. Your clone took off his hand, and Sideous used Force Lightning to blast him out the window."

"No," Anakin said desperately. "No, Obi-Wan please-"

"I arrived to find a recording in the Archives that was him swearing allegiance to Sideous and the Sith Order," Obi-Wan said. "Yoda - the only other Jedi I know for sure survived - went to fight Sideous."

"Obi-Wan-" Anakin said, realization striking him. "He sent you to fight- you thought I gave myself to the Sith and you were fighting me."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "And I found I couldn't do it. Your clone lost all of his other limbs on a volcanic planet. He lost all reason and- Anakin, he Force Choked Padme." Anakin froze, breath caught.

"No." He said, desperately. "No!" He looked down, and then at Obi-Wan. "No..."

"Anakin, she died." Obi-Wan said. "But not before giving birth." Anakin looked down at Luke, and then at Obi-Wan, a question in his eyes. "Twins, a boy, and a girl. Luke and Leia."

"Where Leia?"

"Alderaan," Obi-Wan said. "Bail was told everything." Which would make convincing him to let him see his daughter hard. "I was to take Luke to the Lars."

"Who's idea was that?" Anakin asked harshly, and Obi-Wan froze for a brief second, and Anakin scolded himself. He had to keep control of his emotions. Fighting Vader was clearly a much too fresh memory for Obi-Wan.

"Yoda's." He said. "They're strong in the Force - too strong to stay together without attracting Vader and Sideous' attention."

"So, what now?" Anakin asked. Obi-Wan paused.

"We're needed." He said. "Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sideous turned the Republic into an Empire, with himself as Emperor."

"So as Jedi opposing a wrongful government, and as Jedi opposing the Sith?" Anakin asked. "How do we convince the Rebellion not to kill me?"

"Carefully," Obi-Wan said. "We could probably convince Yoda easier."

"He has the Force," Anakin said. "Doesn't count." Obi-Wan sighed.

"We could always fight them on our own." He said. "Kenobi and Skywalker, against the Empire."

"Don't forget Rex," Anakin said. "A trio." Obi-Wan looked at him, and then his eyes widened. "What?"

"The pod showed no life signals," Obi-Wan said. "You were so deep in the Force you appeared dead."

"And?" He asked.

"What woke you up?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin frowned.

"You." He said. "Your... Your grief."

"And if you could sense it, deep in the Force as you were, then who else would have sensed it?" Obi-Wan asked. "Every other Force Sensitive being in the galaxy. Including..." He trailed off, letting Anakin figure it out.

"Snips!" Anakin said as the realization hit him. "She'll think we're both dead." Then. "You know, if she survived."


End file.
